Muriel M. Williams
Poulsbo

Washington State seems poised to jump on the Biofuel bandwagon, but before we do, it may be wise to look before we leap.

The concept of Biofuel — using plants to make fuel — has been around for more than a century. In the late 1800s, Rudolph Diesel ran his first diesel engine on refined peanut oil and Henry Ford was a big proponent of ethanol, made from corn. But the idea faded because making gasoline from crude oil was cheaper and easier to refine...   (Full Article)

Now that the “Holidays” are over, the flap about who “attacked” Christmas —conservatives or liberals — must be as well.

A friend of mine went to Wal-Mart to buy a “Holiday Tree,” figuring he would stock up since they were on sale. He asked for trees for Christmas, Easter, July 4th, Mother's Day, and Veteran's Day. Kind of points out the absurdity — not to mention hypocrisy — of that whole “Holiday” nonsense, doesn't it...   (Full Article)

"How much is too much?" More specifically, what is "Excess Surplus?"

That's the question state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is wrestling with, and it may work its way into legislation next January when lawmakers descend upon Olympia...   (Full Article)

I’ve seen the Democrats in Olympia say the proposed financing plan was dead on arrival in before they even knew what was in it...   (Full Article)

However, now that the Planning Commission has passed the CAO on to the commissioners for a decision, I believe it's appropriate to express my concerns not only about Draft 2 of the CAO, but about the process itself, as well as the coverage of this issue by our local media...   (Full Article)

Something I learned in Olympia during my 30 years of covering the Legislature has surfaced in this election.

Namely, no matter how good an idea is proposed, it often depends on who's doing the proposing whether it has a prayer of being considered. If you're on the outs with the movers and shakers or have offended one of the ensconced elite, forget it...   (Full Article)

Washingtonians will be voting on numerous initiatives next month and more than a few are extremely controversial. As I study one initiative in particular, I-912, I ponder certain words that have been a guiding light for every American for more than a century and wonder aloud if the public (you and me) have been duped into thinking that the gas tax is bad for Washington's citizens...   (Full Article)

This year however there is a candidate whom we could all wish was running in our own district. He has the education, experience and will to put the interests of the city and the citizens ahead of his own...   (Full Article)

Bainbridge Citizens and a lot of homeowners participated in endless meetings to suggest changes to the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO). After lots of work and thought, the City Council gave the City's planning staff some very strong, well thought out direction on policy decisions for the CAO update. The staff ignored the Council and the homeowners, and made the CAO worse, not better.

Let me tell you how bad it really is...   (Full Article)

All of us have gotten a fine glimpse into what happens when real trouble strikes.

I would like to believe that most of those stranded in New Orleans are good and decent folks. But in those first few post-Katrina days, who was running the show in those flooded streets? The looters. Where are the good and decent people? One would think they'd be hoping someone would stand up for their property if they weren't around...   (Full Article)

This fourth anniversary is significant. There are natural cycles in life. Many of them are marked-off in fours. Four is the number of balance, the number of the square. Historically, the number four has always meant a point of ending — and starting over...   (Full Article)

I left Washington (my home) to help my daughter with my grandson in god-forsaken Hot as Hades Phoenix, and miss my home and community a lot...   (Full Article)

A few months ago an announcement was made that ISC/NASSCAR was again considering the South Kitsap area as a possible location for expansion. Many of us were poised for a discussion on the merits of a track in our county with an eye to making a decision of support or opposition based on the merits of any proposal.

Where are we today...   (Full Article)

Maybe it is time to put aside your arrogance and actually try to represent the people. Stop telling us what is best for us and how we should live! Stop taking our money and wasting it on your pet projects. Stop lying to us...   (Full Article)

Actually, only one of the newspapers I take thought the gorilla picture was worth running, and then it was a one-column shot at the bottom of an inside page next to the fold...   (Full Article)

At first, people felt uneasy about the country. A few months later, the people were more than uneasy — they were worried...   (Full Article)

He lost in Seattle due to the efforts of King County Executive Ron Sims, elections head Dean Logan and the King County elections apparatus, just as U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton lost his seat in the same place in 2000...   (Full Article)

This session, the first in which state workers were allowed to collectively bargain for wages and benefits, lawmakers approved a $26 billion state budget that discriminates against those workers who do not want to join a union...   (Full Article)

The Sun publishes at least letter a day, or more, all written by the usual malcontents who don’t want to see any economic growth in Kitsap County...   (Full Article)

Knock Maria Cantwell out of Congress, that is?

I hadn’t even considered the Bainbridge Island lawyer who knocked off the 1st district’s freshman Democratic congresswoman in 1994 as the GOP’s champion in its hope of making Cantwell a one termer in the U.S. Senate too...   (Full Article)

23rd District Senator Phil Rockefeller, 419 John A. Cherberg Building, PO Box 40423, Olympia, WA 98504-0423, (360) 786-7644 Fax: (360) 786-1999...   (Full Article)

There was a group of 50 fourth and fifth graders. I asked: “How many of you have a talent?” Every single kid raised their hand...   (Full Article)

One of the reasons I abandoned the Seattle market years ago and concentrated my sales on this side of the Sound was not being able to get on the ferry I needed to, to make a commitment, thus forcing me to drive around...   (Full Article)

The sun is rising, the water is smooth as glass and Seattle is growing closer by the minute. Where am I you ask? On the Aqua Express, the new foot ferry from Kingston to Seattle that has made my commute one of the more enjoyable experiences of my day...   (Full Article)

You say, “…I feel like a man without a political ‘home.’ I’ve never left the Democratic Party — but often wonder if it’s left me....   (Full Article)

No, that’s not something new on the heels of the turmoil going on in the media today, what with the big, mainstream newspapers and TV talking heads accused of Bush bashing, and the Bush administration paying off journalists to write good things about its programs...   (Full Article)

What doesn’t work is a costly one-size-fits-all state mandate. But that is exactly what we will get if the state Legislature enacts paid family leave legislation...   (Full Article)